MADISON, Wis. — A group of Republican lawmakers from across Wisconsin sent a letter to Gov. Tony Evers Thursday to express their concerns over how he has reacted to the death of Milwaukee police officer Peter Jerving, who was shot and killed in the line of duty while responding to a robbery in the early morning hours of Feb. 7.
Four Republicans from around the state, not just Milwaukee, have called on Gov. Evers to show “dignity and compassion” in the wake of Jerving’s death this week.
The letter, sent Thursday afternoon, was signed by State Rep. Barbara Dittrich of Oconomowoc, State Rep. Bob Donovan of Milwaukee, State Rep. John Spiros of Marshfield, and State Sen. Jesse James of Altoona.
Evers was criticized in the letter for not issuing a formal statement as lawmakers expressed their disappointment over a tweet from the governor and how long it took for him to acknowledge the tragedy, waiting to do so until late Tuesday morning.
The lawmakers also raised questions about why flags were not yet ordered to be flown at half-staff, as done previously for fallen officers, including when Matthew Rittner, another Milwaukee police officer, was killed while on duty in Feb. 2019.
Just one day after Rittner’s death, Gov. Evers had ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until Rittner’s funeral.
“The occupation itself is being stigmatized when we are at the shortest law enforcement numbers in state history, at least in the last three or four decades," State Sen. Jesse James, R-Altoona, explained. "That is concerning to me. In this case, when Officer Jerving gave up his life, in the line of duty, the least, the very least we could do, is get that flag lowered in honor of him.”
James still works as a cop in the Village of Cadott and is the only active law enforcement officer in the Wisconsin Legislature.
Just minutes before the press was provided a copy of the letter from Republicans early Thursday afternoon, the governor had tweeted his intention to order flags flown at half-staff on Monday, the day of Jerving’s funeral.
When asked for comment regarding the letter, a spokesperson for the governor instead referred to the previously mentioned tweets.